Transparency, public trust part of push for Peace Officer Excellence Task Force

When a Richfield police officer inappropriately struck a Somali teenager in the head in 2015 — an action caught on video — the city fired him, but a labor arbitrator ordered the officer be returned to the force. The city appealed, but the arbitrator’s decision was eventually upheld by the Minnesota Supreme Court.

That incident illustrated to Rep. Michael Howard (DFL-Richfield) there needs to be a debate about employment regulations that dictate how cities and other jurisdictions hire and fire cops.

Rep. Michael Howard

Howard is sponsoring HF2324 to establish a Peace Officer Excellence Task Force “to study the laws, rules, contracts, and policies that govern the employer-employee relationship between political subdivisions and peace officers.”

The House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy Division heard testimony at an informational hearing Tuesday. The expected bill referral from the House Government Operations Committee has not yet taken place. There is no Senate companion.

“The vast majority — the vast majority — of peace officers serve our community well every day,” said Howard.

But when officers seriously violate the public trust given them, there needs to be “a clear system” to hold those officers accountable, said Howard, who believes current systems are failing in that regard.

A purpose of the task force is to bring more transparency to employment practices in police departments, especially those that hinder a city from firing cops who have “seriously betrayed the public trust,” Howard said.

Richfield Police Chief Jay Henthorne remains frustrated by the 2015 case, continued department distrust because of it, and ultimately being forced to rehire Nathan Kinsey, the officer who struck the Somali teen.

“There needs to be a better balance achieved between the employment rights of police officers and the need for police chiefs … to act to maintain the integrity and excellence of the peace officers we employ.”

The 18-member task force would include representatives from the Legislature, the attorney general’s office, police and public safety associations, city and county associations, labor associations and members of the public. A report would be due to the Legislature by Jan. 15, 2020.